What the Winter Brings
by NoteEmmy
Summary: Kaiba experiences a rare feeling of pure happiness when his brother, the King of Games, and their daughter show up to his office against his wishes during the Christmas rush. FLUFF


Winter was a very rough time for Kaiba Seto. He put himself in his office at the beginning of December and very rarely had reason to leave it. The Christmas rush was hard to work through. It was even harder when you had pests bothering you every so often. By now the so-called pests had become much less than that but they were still a hindrance and a nuisance. This was a tradition that he upheld every year, he had to, else the company would risk going under. Yet some people just couldn't learn to leave him alone, even with time.

One of the most important, his brother, was an extreme repeat offender of this nonsense. His younger brother meant well, this he understood, but that didn't mean it was okay for him to do these things. Why the teen would even bother leaving America's west coast sunny embrace was beyond him at all. It was one of the reasons he'd sent his brother there in the first place. Not only to have a life but possibly to keep him from coming back during the busier months.

This year, like every year, it didn't work. His little brother showed up without fail, and unannounced as usual, too. Except this time the kid-turned-adult seemed to at least have a sense of priority on his shoulders. Now that he was acting vice president for Kaiba Corporation, and head of the American branches, when he came to Domino, a whirl of business picked up around him. He hadn't solely come to check up on his brother and make sure he ate and slept here and there, he had come to actually help with the rush.

The help wasn't exactly appreciated. Kaiba didn't want Mokuba mixed up in his yuletide schedule. He didn't really want him there at all, but since getting him to leave was out of the question, the brunet knew he had no choice but to accept what help he was going to get. It was better than having his brother poke at him to eat and sleep, anyway.

Then came the second nuisance that was completely that. There was no other term for this man's poking or nosing around in the company. Atem had, for a long time, become a mainstay of Kaiba's life. The CEO would never admit it but he was content with the other's presence, and he really wouldn't know what to do without it-

Normally, anyway. Christmas was a much different situation. At the beginning of winter he usually would take great care to spend an entire day with the King of Games to try and make sure Atem would have enough time spent so he wouldn't think of annoying him during his work. It never succeeded, however. No matter how much he tried to tell the other to plainly 'go the hell away' the man never took the hint. He wasn't exceedingly difficult to put up with, and the mess of work Kaiba had to do made him too busy to really notice the man's presence anyway.

But it was the principal of the thing and Atem disobeying him was annoying. He was no exception in finding his way into the corporation that day, either.

And with him, last but not least, was the remainder of Kaiba's worries and problems.

Being in the corporation wasn't really her fault. It was Atem's, as she was attached at his hip (not so literally, of course). Arms around his neck, and hooded head on his shoulder, she was actually sleeping at the time they'd walked in. Her afternoon nap was not to be disturbed, but somehow after just a few seconds of being in the bustling work place she opened her eyes and squirmed.

Four year old little Yuiko. The still impossible girl that seemed to appear from nowhere and into Kaiba and Atem's lives, joining them in a way they'd never have known without her. She'd become a very real responsibility, but brought with her a very warm and loving feeling- one that even Kaiba couldn't deny.

All three of these people in Kaiba's life, being in his building at the same time, was more than he could really deal with. Mokuba was in the office across the way, at least doing some work. He actually had not known Atem and his daughter were in the building until a secretary alerted him to their presence. Apparently they had made their way from the lobby and into the break room. Kaiba knew without a doubt Atem must have been buying her some crap from the vending machines he allowed his employees to have. It didn't sit right with him, but going to seek him out would put too much delay on the current line of work he was doing.

Behind him in the city, the skies suddenly grayed and snow began to fall. It wasn't in light, easy descent, but a hard and rushed way that had people scrambling to get out of the streets. The storm had come out of nowhere, and it was dropping snow and ice onto the city in an unrealistic manner. Kaiba was determined to ignore every last bit of it until his employees started complaining and shrieking about being able to get out of the corporation and being able to check on their families. The less dedicated ones took off in a rush. It would make the "who to fire" list next month all too easy.

The other ones shut their doors to conserve heat and the building became very quiet and eerie very suddenly. No one was running about the halls, no one was left in the halls or chattering over cubical walls. Everyone was just snuggling up in front of their computers and doing their work- even with the lack in employees, this made productivity rise more than Kaiba had ever seen it in his life. He made a mental note then to enforce this way of working in the future.

Mokuba appeared from the office he was borrowing, having relinquished it back to its owner, with laptop in hand. He set it up on the corner of his brother's desk with a smile, pulling the sitting chair closer so he could work opposite the CEO. Atem appeared then, closing the door behind him, noting the two working in tandem with a warm grin.

The young girl in his arms was busy sipping away at a juice box, watching the storm outside with very large eyes. Once Atem sat, settling Yuiko's day bag on the side of the couch, she ran towards the windows, placing a tiny hand against the cold glass in wonder. Seto reached out his own to lay atop her head, other hand furiously finding its way across the keyboard. Busy as he might be, he'd never ignore the presence of his daughter. She smiled up at him with a soft murmur of happiness, no words necessary. A soft smirk and look out of the corner of his eye was dedicated solely to her and she reveled in it.

She stood at the window for only another minute more before a chill caught her and she ran back into her daddy's arms for a warm snuggle. Atem pulled her favorite blanket from her bag and wrapped her up in it, thinking that a much better option than trying to get her into her winter coat again. She then snuggled back against him as he took one of his puzzle books out, tucked underneath one of Kaiba's couch cushions, and watched him work on it. The empty juice box fell from her hands as her eyes drooped and a nap became all too necessary.

As the hours ticked by and the storm grew heavier, Atem too began feeling the cold in the office. A silent note was passed to Kaiba's secretary and it only took a moment for her to come in with a blanket for the other. Atem grinned at Kaiba with a mouthed word of thanks. Blue eyes rolled with a shake of his head. Atem was careful not to wake the sleeping Yuiko as he situated himself on the couch, wrapping himself up and lying down. He promised himself he'd only close his eyes for a moment.

That moment turned into several long hours, but Kaiba was happy for it. Not that it had been that Atem and his daughter were being loud and ridiculous- in fact, not a single word had been uttered between the four in the room since they'd all sat down. It was strange and yet…

When Kaiba finally looked up from his computer in the early AM he noticed his brother's head had gone down on the desk. Mokuba was sleeping soundly, face stuck to his keyboard. The younger man would shiver every now and again and it caused his elder brother to stand and drape his jacket around the younger's shoulders. Once Kaiba sat down, blue eyes then drifted towards his sleeping husband and their daughter.

A different sort of quiet filled the office, and whatever chill seemed to be getting to all the occupants didn't touch him at all. Instead, in its place, he felt rather warm. The feeling emanated from his heart until it spread throughout his entire body.

For once he didn't have that slight touch of paranoia and worry, the kind he carried with him always when the occupants of his tiny family weren't in his immediate sight. The feeling was rare. It took up an unused space in his brain where the nervousness no longer sat.

He sat back in his chair despite the rush of work that still needed to be done. The feeling was so new that it needed to be explored. He needed to know what had brought it on. What had quelled the long and deep seated fear that always sat in his heart?

The answer came in just another moment.

Everyone he truly cared about was sitting in his office. Not just sitting, not just occupying his space- they were sleeping soundly. They were warm and cared for and content. And in turn it seemed to make Kaiba content.

It made him happy.

It was a rare feeling, and probably one in his life that he really didn't know how to deal with at all. The marked sense of contentment was often something he felt when he was with his brother and the younger was laughing and smiling, or when he was with Atem holding the smaller frame in his arms, or with his daughter when she was hugging him and telling him how he was the best.

But with all three people put in front of him where he could reach out and touch each one, to care and provide for them and watch the situation unfold- it put a true sense of new happiness in him. In trying to chase them off from being near him they'd all come and found him anyway. They'd been unable to leave the building with the snow piled ten feet high.

In essence they were trapped, and that was Kaiba's fault too. It was something he realized he'd take glad responsibility for. Not only were the three most important people in his life here and safe, but there was no one that would be able to get in and harm them, either. He didn't have to look over his shoulder for a glare of a gun off a rooftop or a red dot that would soon announce a shot into his office. He didn't have to worry about his front door being kicked in by a man or woman with a vendetta. He didn't have to worry about a phone call from Isono about a breach.

He just had Mokuba, Atem, and Yuiko in his sights, sleeping, and with no way out and no way for anyone else to get in and break them up, as life would usually have it.

His eyes watched all three, and while they slept, an unused expression crept on Seto's face. His lips curved upward in a soft and easygoing smile. The color of his eyes grew warm and his body relaxed.

His family was right where he could watch them and out of danger.

And it made him genuinely happy.


End file.
